


Asking The Important Questions

by Rotschild



Series: Monsters and Heroes [5]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gabe gets shot in the face, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 02:50:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13649889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rotschild/pseuds/Rotschild
Summary: Explaining to your subordinates that you get it on with a wanted terrorist isn't much fun.





	Asking The Important Questions

**Author's Note:**

> Another one.  
> Sometimes I wonder if I let it get a bit too ridiculous, but it's just so much fun D:
> 
> The song Gabriel chose is 'Jacky' by Bossa Nostra. Of course he improvised a lot.

Another day, another skirmish. The fights against Talon agents got harder to endure, despite his additionally powered up condition. Tired Jack sat on a flat rooftop with sight over all of Castillo bay, with burning muscles and way too thinned out patience. He grumbled as he rubbed his still stinging side, carefully touched dark violet bruises that stretched wide over the tender skin over his ribs. In annoyance Jack huffed while unsettled nanites squirmed under his skin like warrior ants on a mission to sugar-island. 

The clinking sounds of his spurs announced McCrees appearance. Dowdy like a ballet dancer wearing crocks, he sat down in a heavy huff besides him. 

"You holding up there, Jack?", he drawled, took off his hat and let it rest in his lap. Jack hummed silently, but kept on staring upwards into the starlit sky. It was almost fullmoon, bright enough to see absolutely 'everything'. From the shimmering roofs of castillo bays sand white facades to the wide and colorful star constallatons of the milky way above. 

Before the war there always had been way too much light to see them, but now colourful swirls of natural light could be seen all over the horizon right to where the sky touched inky dark ocean waves. The sight of it made all of Jacks insides burn. The nanites moved quivering and restless as if they wanted to mend the painful longing in his body. 

Jack almost forgot about Jesses question. 

"Everything hurts and my nanites are arseholes", he grumbled into the silent night and stretched his arms wide over his head. A violent twitch, caused most likely by fussing tiny omnics, shot instantly right through the sore muscles of his back. It almost felt electric. Groaning Jack pressed a hand against the sore point, while Jesse let out a deeply amused snort as a kind of reply. 

Jack gave him a dirty look and still couldn't get over the fact that his new nanite friends liked to torment him like Gabriel did in SEP. 

The little tugs and jolts, that twitched through his muscles during their repair of him, wouldn't be so bad on their own, but they were numerous and happened unpredictably as if these little bastards just liked to fuck with him. 

Jack believed by now they tried to condition him into not hurting himself so often, just like pavlov and his bell-trained dog. 

\- Or it was just Gabriels way of telling him 'fuck you and your stupid face, in particular!!' from afar. 

Jesse grinned his wide carefree grin, bowed his head and bit down on a cigar whilst he fumbled with a lighter between his fingers. "Should take better care, old man", he mumbled and the tobacco glinted in the dark. "We all don't get younger, see?"

Jack just let out a sarcastic huff and pointed to his own smoothed out face. "Speak for yourself, Cowboy. "

Jesse rolled his eyes and grit his teeth in annoyance. "You annoying dickhead fucking well know what I mean!"

Jack produced a rude gesture with his right hand and rolled his eyes. "Yes, dad", he drawled. "Now piss off and leave me to lick my wounds in peace." After a short pause he said. "I promise there won't be anyone shooting at me until tomorrow."

"Go fuck yourself, Jack."

Jack rubbed his tired eyes while he laughed. "Not the time, Jesse. When are we ready for take off?"

Jesse stretched out his legs, looked like he just wanted to sprawl out on his back, and lifted his head to indulge in some star gazing like Jack did since nightfall. 

"Three hours or so", he grumbled impatiently. "That EMP got us good. Fried some important circuits. Said Lena, at least."

Lazily he grabbed his cowboy hat and shoved his wild hair back before putting his hat back were it belonged. "Lena's totally nuts about her baby, it's kinda exhausting to watch. "

Jack felt curious at that and lifted his brows. "What, Really? Thought that thing was a rocket launcher that hit us. Just some electromagnetic thingy and this abnormally large and expensive as shit Dropship falls down on our heads?"

Jessy shrugged in a comical way, his palms raised to the height of his shoulders - a fucking annoying quirk that Gabriel unintentionally drilled into his head, as Jesse still was young and impressionable. "Looks like it. A small IRE-Rocket got us too, but it only scratched the cladding."

Silence fell over them again. They just sat, waiting. Jack jumped every time his tiny omnics began to mend and heal another scratch or bruise and Jesse watched out for shooting stars, while huffing that hateful cigar smoke around. 

Could be that a full hour came and went till Jesse stood up again. "Don't stay out all night, old man", he drawled grinning and slapped Jack on the back. "Or you will get a cold and Angi will be too pissed off with you to keep you alive."

Jack huffed a rough laugh and waved him away. Whatever Angela moaned about him in his absence, Jack wasn't a bad patient at all. Well, hard to keep track off, surely, but he never complained or made a fuss about a simple cold - like Gabriel did, back then. His dramatic sulk fests were definitely one of Jacks fondest memories. He never admitted it in the slightest, but Jack always new, Gabriel loved some fussing about him now and then...

Jack surely could live without it. Especially when it was done by microscopic fucking omnics, that he couldn't even clock in the face for their troubles. 

While still watching the night sky, his mind drifted further off in the region of his rather faded memories. He got himself a headache as he tried to dig out more of those random, sweetly domestic scenes he wished he could make happen again. 

Of course nothing of it was that simple. But it wasn't bad either, especially as Jack wasn't even alone for ten or maybe fifteen minutes, till a dark and dangerous figure stepped out of the shadows right behind him. 

"Your nanites are arseholes", Jack grumbled in quiet accusation while Gabriel waved away his bone white mask. He huffed in a moody strop and sat without any inhibitions right down next to Jack, crossed his arms unimpressed on his chest. 

"Maybe they'd be in a better mood, if their useless Jackass of a host wasn't trying to kill himself so damn fucking badly", Gabriel growled drily. Jack wrinkled his nose and let out a deeply offended Huff. "Why do all my friends suddenly talk like I am some deeply disturbed suicidal maniac?!"

Gabriel let out a rumbling laugh and scratched his ear with his right little finger. "Friends, huh?", his grin was wide and reminded of a shark. "Don't get cocky, Morrison. You are still on my shitlist."

Jack flinched and turned his head. 'Still am?', he wanted to grumble. What had a man to do to proof his sincerity to a god damn drama queen with a grudge. He let out a tired sigh and closed his eyes. But well, as he now thought about it...did he apologize for things that were...?

Really... ? Earnest and openly as he should?  
Well, Jack guessed not.  
All of a sudden he felt embarrassed and sensed heat prickling over his cheeks that colored his usually fair skin in a patchy dark red. 

Two times he opened his mouth and couldn't quite figure out what he wanted to say. He swallowed deep and tried again a third time. 

"You got under my skin so very badly in the end", he rasped and felt profoundly uncomfortable. "Its-... Look, I can't remember it like I probably should", Jack spat crankily, making Gabriel jump beside him. Maybe it wasn't said in the way Jack first wanted to, but the idea got through. He hoped. 

Before Gabriel could recover from his startled state to snarl back at him, Jack closed his eyes and spoke his heart as fast and secure as he was able to. "I said a lot of shit just to make you hurt", the words tumbled right out of his mouth and only as he spoke, Jack realized that he wanted to talk about that for Si many years. "I was petty and bitter... And I guess, pretty obnoxious."

He didn't stop to look at Gabriel or search for his eyes, but he guessed it would be a bit much. Speaking openly had never been Jacks strong suit. He was way too used to keep everything close by his chest and deal with any of his problems on his own. People usually thought differently, but Gabe had always been a way better team player than him. It made Jack wonder if Gabriels once numerous siblings had something to do with that. 

"I said a lot of stuff, just because I knew it would hurt you and I wanted and needed some kind of reaction", Jack murmured on and rubbed his hand in a nervous gesture repeatedly over his scratchy five o'clock shadow.

Gabriel shifted beside him and Jack hastily got on with it, before that arsehole decided to just port away while Jack wasn't even done. "I wanted to lash out at you", he growled lowly. "You hated me 'so much' in the end and I just couldn't stomach that. Not after everything that was. I am truly sorry, Gabe."

This time he looked up, quivering with anxiety and cleared his throat till his voice sounded some more like himself. Gabriel stared motionless and blank faced back at him. 

"I can't remember the words we both used", mumbled Jack, again fighting with rising heat in his face and combated a heavy and warm feeling deep in his chest. "But I sure as hell know, I probably said a lot of things you didn't deserve. I was just so... angry. And tired. All the time."

The giant meltdown that happened at Zurich headquarters was just the tip on the iceberg that had once been their deep, loving and at the end quite unhealthy relationship. It started to pull at them as soon as there was no longer a war to fight that distracted them enough from... Never talking about it, ever. And as they tried, it didn't work out right. Too much heavy handed accusations and screaming matches and... Just way too much responsibility for only two emotionally compromised soldiers. 

When Jack thought about anything 'before', all he could scrape together in his mind were triggering scents, noises and the vague feeling of scenarios he 'knew' had happened, but that felt in his mind too much like he was only told about them once a long time ago. Jack hated the feeling of not even knowing himself anymore. 

A sudden shift in the air around him made Jack flinch and startle out of his thoughts. As he blinked, heart beating wildly, Gabriel sat right in front of him on his heels. "You are a stupidly sappy sack of sh-..."

Jacks eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he rudely interrupted. "Don't you dare calling me a sappy old man, when you insisted on giving me literally your own damn heart, Reyes!"

Gabriel blinked while looking so astonished, it was unbecoming. "Oh", he said. "So you noticed?"

Jack rolled his eyes and wanted to tug at his hair. "Of course I noticed", he snapped right away, still tetchy from talking about his feelings and stuff. "Your damn nanite blob monster crawled out of my throat some night, took a look around and then tried to choke me. Again. And I swear I will crush these tiny omnics one by one, should there ever be a third attempt!"

But Jacks anger subsided quickly as he watched Gabriels open and earnest look of pure astonishment. "They came back to you?" 

Interest gleamed in his eyes as Gabriel suddenly reached out with his right hand. His talons almost brushed Jacks chest. Instantly Jack felt a strange humm under his skin that definitely wasn't caused only by his own racing pulse and recoiled from Gabriels hand as far as he could in just half a second. "Stop that!", he gasped in a sudden panic. "What the hell, Gabe?!"

he only felt well and good again as these creepy motions deep in his chest began to slow down and fade away. 

Gabriel hummed softly and lifted his brows. Kind of like a chemist that produced an especially interesting reaction just by accident. 

As he stood up, he took hold of Jacks arm and pulled him to his feet in a smooth and strong motion. "Didn't think they would stay", he said lowly. "They never do. With anybody but me."

Warily Jack watched Gabriel and waited for him to move and try again - whatever it was that he just did. Thank god he let it be. 

"What the hell do you even mean?", Jack huffed stroppily. "Weren't they supposed to stay with me and... Uh... do the stuff nanites do till they die?"

Gabriel answered with a snort and crossed his arms again. "You sound as if you planned already for them to pay rent."

\- "Gabriel! "

Gabriels rumbling laugh caught him by surprise and made Jack shiver all over. Gabriels talons scratched over his nape as they stood at each others side for a while, just watching the thick waves crashing into the bay below.  
Gabriel breathed in so deep, it lifted his shoulders. 

"Tried to give them to people a lot, before", he spoke in rumbling murmurs. "Some civilians, then Widowmaker... even Sombra once, but she wouldn't let me. Called them creepy, that little shit."

Jack tried to hold back a smile. 

"Hold your idiot grin in check, Morrison. "  
\- "You weren't even looking?!"  
Gabriel shifted just that tiny step nearer without turning his head, while his arm sneaked around Jacks shoulders to tug him near. 

While he did that, he also let his shoulders sink as thick tendrils of blackish smoke started to creep over his skin. "I am 'always' looking", growled the Reaper and opened his shining red eyes, all of them, in a dramatic reveal of the monster under his skin, almost fully black and unseen in the dark. 

Jack watched him intently as his heart, spurred on through never forgotten primeval instincts, started to pound in a way heavier rhythm and additionally pumped him full of his bodies own lightning quick produced chemical enhancements. 

Suddenly full of buzzing adrenaline, still all Jack could do was clear his throat to not suffocate on a laugh, before he got the Reaper angry. "Bragger", he giggled helplessly. 

The deep look in Gabriels far too many eyes felt intense and deliberate in a way that warmed all of Jacks insides. From down to his toes, all the way up to his ears. Especially his ears that felt suddenly way too hot and tingling. 

Gabriel laughed darkly. A great deal too many horrifyingly crooked teeth showed themselves in a predatory grin that looked way too wide for a human face. "The man who can, Jonathan."

Jack looked him up and down while the ice-cold swarms of agitated nanites made him shudder in addition to what Gabriels looks did to the lizard part of his brain. "Well... You and your nanites sure are kind of creepy."

A hard slap to the back of his head almost let Jack loose his footing, but he still couldn't help the laugh at Gabriels offended huff. 

"Anyway", Gabriel drawled like he wasn't at all looking like a dark and awe-inspiring impressionist painting. "They usually come back to me. If they aren't dying without me, that is. They still are a part of me. "

In demonstration he lifted his talons and let eager little omnics swirl around them till they gathered in an inky drop of shivering goo. There they stayed for a while concentrated like that till they puffed out again in a strange, kind of heavy and oily feeling mist, that swirled and danced at ease around Gabriels body. 

Jack watched wide eyed in fascination. The form Gabriel took sure was horrifyingly non-human and his powers of control over his shape would frighten anybody who wasn't a total airhead. But in the end it was still just Gabe with his ridiculous outfit, his stupid grin and his damn lovely voice. 

The corners of Jacks mouth twitched up in a wide and sunny smile, filled with love and so much satisfaction. It was possible that he looked inappropriately way too much like some love struck fool. "Well", he chuckled without thinking and dropped his gaze down and away from Gabriels Face. "Part of me is part of you, I guess then."

Or maybe those obnoxious little arsehole nanites just liked Jack more than Gabriel. Wasn't hard to imagine the way the guy liked to command them around. 

Jack was so strangely amused by that thought, that he didn't caught Gabriel staring at him right away.  
An intense shiver ran down his spine as he caught Gabriels eyes again. Even if, amusingly, he wasn't sure in which pair of them to look. Jack swallowed thickly, his throat suddenly constricted and way too dry. "Gabe... ", he murmured and felt suddenly desperate, helpless and full of wondrous joy all at once. The horrifying shapeless Monster lifted its frighteningly long clawed hand and, with just a contrarily soft and gentle touch to his chin, lifted Jacks head till it could watch his face, prying for discomfort or plain open disgust. 

Jack fell into a bone deep shudder that made him feel dizzy as well as a bit daft. Another one rolled down his spine and forced him to close his eyes as Gabriels wide hand caressed Jacks jaw, while hard ungiving talons scratched over his pulse point. 

All Jack could do was to lean with hitching breaths into the soft touch and wanted-... Just... Just wanted... Breathing in thick little huffs he grit his teeth and concentrated on the tiny circles Gabriels claws started to scrape gently into his skin. 

Jack swallowed thickly, on the brink of embarrassing emotional tears again, and reached out to the Monster. His fingers buried themselves in the folds of Gabriels heavy black coat. It felt a lot less like hard leather this time and reminded Jack even more, that whatever Gabriel looked like, kind of harmless Gabriel Reyes, deadly Reaper or shapeless figure of squirming nightmares, all the same, at his core there only were teeny tiny omnics, happily keeping him alive and giving the man underneath a second chance at living. 

Jack just couldn't stop staring. 

Gabriel sure as hell wasn't a beautiful creature. From the deep rumbling noises he made to his rough looks that resembled more of an slavering hell hound with way too many teeth and eyes to be real. 

But in the end... He still was the same man Jack loved dearly for now almost half of his life. Jack guessed he even still would love him, if he really was just a violent raging monster. 

Well... he 'had' loved him still, even before their not so secret encounter in Dorado. As he still was just the Reaper.

"Gabriel... ", he whispered, feeling lightheaded as deadly sharp claws reached achingly slow around his waist to tug him nearer against the staring Monster. Jack couldn't help the shiver at the strange kind of dry cold that Gabriel wore around like a shroud. 

Gradually the frightening beast lowered its massive head to Jacks. "Isn't that nice", it drawled through its rows glistening teeth right into Jacks ear. "Sappy old sap."

Jack couldn't help feeling relieved. With arms stretched wide, he stood up on his tiptoes and looped them ungiving around Gabriels long neck. "Go fuck yourself, Reyes" , he murmured through a hitching breath. 

Gabriels laugh rumbled deep and lovely through his broad chest as his claws tangled themselves into his patchy blond hair and tugged Jack tightly against him, just for a little while. 

Flimsy whirls of darkness nestled against Jacks face and coiled themselves around and against his neck with a low and deep vibration that made them feel like a sated and happily purring pet. 

The shudder that wrecked Jacks body as he felt dangerously long fangs graze right by his throat, made him close his eyes again. Trying to swallow away the big lump in his throat he let out a deep, shivering humm. 

Meanwhile Gabriel moved his monstrous body slowly, swaying. Like a deadly snake in sluggish movements that seemed to be made to hypnotize his prey. 

He also hummed a soul deep sound. Silent bass notes that made Jacks brain feel mushy with all kinds of feelings. So you may were able to excuse the far too long duration that Jack needed, to even realize what he was doing. 

Gabriel was dancing.  
Swaying lazily to a lowly hummed melody. 

And suddenly that alone wasn't enough anymore. The monster held on even tighter to its chosen prey and opened its maw to bare its rows of way too sharp and many teeth. 

"Jacky has a thing", Gabriel began to drawl suddenly in that deep all-consuming voice of his. "Even if the thing is not so haaard. "  
Sudden irritation made Jack blink and furrow his brows. "He knooows, right now it's all he's got...", Gabriel kept on singing lowly and Jack pulled a face. "Do you really have to be such an annoying dick all the time...?!"

Gabriel of course didn't listen. He just swayed him a little more, trapped Jack in his sharp talons and radiated satisfaction like a well fed predator with something nice to play with. 

"And he can make it swiiing... Jacky has a past, even though he tries to forget", he croaked further in high amusement. "Between the stage lights and the threat, he blew them all aw-... "

Annoyed and red-faced Jack used the swaying motion to his advantage and lunged to clock the monster right in the face to shut that dancing embarrassment up for good. 

Gabe rumbled a deeply amused laugh. Like Jack, he used the momentum of the sudden attack and let Jack fall into a deep dip over his left knee. "La la la la la, it was just a night of sad waaanking!"

Jacks face flushed even deeper.  
"Oh. My. God?!"

And Gabriel? He laughed. Loud and sincere in deep rumbling chuckles that moved his whole body. 

And as annoyed as Jack was, it wasn't possible for him to not fall in love with that damn arsehole all over again. Blazing heat crept under his skin and lightened his heart. Made him feel whole, in a way Jack hadn't felt in so many years. 

Sharp talons left a tingling feeling as they drew a lovely pattern over his jaw and Jack let himself get pulled into this game of pretend. As if there never was a time they wanted to crush each others skulls. 

Jack sighed and felt so old and tired all of a sudden. 

"You are a right pain, Reyes", he huffed but still leaned self-indulgently right into the gentle touch of Gabriels thump that stroked over his right cheekbone. "But ... You know... "

He swallowed, searching for the right words.  
"If you ever had gotten your shit together and actually 'asked' me. Made up your mind about hating my guts or not..."  
His voice broke, so nervous was he. He felt the tingle of heat on his face and a fuzzy buzz in his brain. But he decided to be brave enough, at least this time, to say it out loud. 

"... I would have said yes..."

Gabriels gently swaying motion stopped. Jack kept his sight lowered to Gabriels broad and deformed chest. Thick swirls of nanites broke loose from Gabriels skin and before Jack felt him move, he was suddenly trapped in a tight monstrous hug. 

Sharp talons slid along Jacks jawlines and cupped his face in the gentlest way as he lifted his head.  
The way too big beast lowered its massive skull to Jacks in a smooth motion and just huddled up close. 

The rumble of its deep satisfied humm resonated within Jack who felt the nanite swarm squirm under his skin. 

"Ist das so... Jacky... Jonathan...", the monster murmured through crooked teeth right in his ear and Jack felt his knees turn to butter. Glowing red eyes opened by the dozen in the dark and a low rumble made the monster quiver like a wide eyed predator ready to strike. 

It should frighten him to death, but all Jack could see when he looked at that nightmarish thing of flaring black smoke and its horrifying claws and teeth... Was the person that once had been 'everything'. 

And to this day still was.

"I love you", Jack whispered with so much feeling, it threatened to choke him up. 

Gabriel growled in bone deep satisfaction. 

"Holy shit fuck shit, damn, fucking fuck!!!"

First it was really just that obnoxious murmur in the dark. Then the air suddenly felt thick and charged. And then a set of footsteps rushed in. The sound of a brandished katana and the familiar noise of a loaded weapon were next. 

"Soldier!", Genji shot out of the dark in a dash, a green lightning in the night. Jesse appeared right behind him, peace keeper risen to defense -... visibly horrified and so unsure about which eye he should actually shoot. 

Jack blinked wide eyed and cleared his throat in utter embarrassment. Again his face flushed brightly red. Uncomfortable his eyes flickered from the youngsters to Gabriel and he decided to, hopefully, get the right words to defuse this awkward embarrassment of a situation before someone actually got hurt. 

"Well, uh... You can let go of me n-..."  
"Get your filthy claws off of him and stay the fuck back, Reaper!!", roared Jesse right over him and shit that wasn't a good start at all. 

Genji lifted his head. "Jesse... It seams like we are-..."  
"Back off, or I swear I'll shoot your fucking skull off your face, dammit!!"  
Gabe of course didn't move. He was way too stubborn and proud to let himself get bossed around by anyone. 

"And I'm sure you will give me a reason?", he growled in annoyance. "Because right now I really don't want t-..."  
A sudden crack halled over the rooftops and the Reaper almost toppled over. In an instant Jack grasped his coat und helped him to get his balance back while agitated nanites swarmed out around him. 

A blink later Gabriel stood straight, his face almost bone white from raw fury, while his left eye bled an oily black substance. He growled in a deep huff and just leaped forward. Jack got him around his waist, but barely. "Fuck, get it together Reyes!", he cried, but Gabriel of course wouldn't make this easy. "He shot me, that little shit!! Let the fuck go of me Morrison and I-..."

"I think the fuck not, Gabe!!"

"Jesse McCree!!", cut Genjis metallic voice through their fight and all three of them looked up to him. Genji balanced on a balcony railing and watched silently, till he nodded to Jesse. "I think", he spoke slowly and hopped to the ground. "We interrupted a date."  
Jack wanted to throttle that man so damn badly his hands began to quiver. "GENJI?!"

Gabriel tilted his head and looked at Jack. "Well, he's not wrong, is he?"  
"What the fuck, man?!", shrieked Jesse in bewilderment. Jacks face felt flaming hot from anger and embarrassment. "He wasn't eating me, if that's what you thought!!"

"Can't say, I wouldn't like to", drawled Gabe obnoxiously deep and predatory beside him. "I bet you taste as delicious as-..."

Jack elbowed Gabriel with force right in his guts to cut him off from embarrassing him even further. "Cut it off, you damn drama queen!"

Not that it helped, really. Gabriel only bowed over and started wheezing full of spite and amusement. He laughed so much, he seemed to loose control over his form. The nanites swarmed like angry hornets, buzzing around his figure that seemed to melt with the shadows. 

Shining red eyes opened up in the darkness, while Gabriels form collapsed again into this monstrous being, way bigger than a man. The nanites swirled around him like a smoky sort of shield. "Oh, you want drama, Jacky...? That you can g-... "

Another loud 'bang' echoed over the rooftops while what could be counted as the left side of Gabriels head exploded in inky black splatter. 

Gabriel screeched and fell like a stone.  
Jack felt the black goo on his face, blinked wide eyed right back at Jesse who seemed so freaked out he almost bit his cigar in half. Jack took a checking look at Gabriel who withered huffing and spitting on the floor and then stalked forward right in Jesses face. 

"Jesse McCree!! ", Jack spoke in his pissed off Strike Commander Morrison voice he hadn't used in years. "You can't just fucking walk around and shoot people in the face, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

Jesse opened his mouth, looked unable to speak as he pointed at the Reaper who laid still twitching on the rooftop floor. 

"I can't just...?! What the actual fuck Jack?!"

Jack noticed the motion out of the corner of his eyes and only got around in time to grasp a damn bloody pissed off Reaper again around the waist, almost lifting him off his feet in the process, while Gabriel produced one of his shotguns in a whirl of wild furious motions. 

"Get off of me, Morrison, that little shit shot my damn face off!! "

"You can't go around, shooting our operatives in the face because they piss you off, Gabe!", argued Jack, still with his arms looped around Gabriels body to hold him back from the youngsters. "And you are still the prettiest if that helps?! "

"Go fuck yourself, you useless Jackass!!!", Gabriel roared back instantly, but was at least distracted from Jesse and Genji. "I will knock some wits into them, you don't fucking shoot at people who can-...!"

"Yes, the prettiest 'and' the mightiest!"  
Gabriel hesitated and tilted his head to Jack.  
"I hate you so fucking much right now."

And suddenly Jack had a feeling of familiarity about this whole situation. A déjà vu of some sort. Something about that scuffle had happened way too often in the past. Aside from Gabriel leaking thick black matter from under his bone white mask all over the place, of course. 

Jacks legs suddenly felt way too weak as he started to laugh and for his life just couldn't stop until he cried. 

* * *

"How did you come to terms with this all?", asked Genji while he sat besides Gabriel. "This... 'floating' existence. Its so much more complicated than mine."

Gabriel huffed in his typical annoyance, still sulking about being shot in the face because of ill-timed flirting. "I pretty much didn't", he growled moodily.  
"Hah, that's what I thought. People who are at peace with themselves usually don't go on a rampage", spat Jesse who sat besides Genji, still not trusting Gabriel as far as he could throw him. 

"You know so much about being at peace, Cowboy?!", Gabriel drawled. Jack let out a deep sigh. "Could you please not bicker for just a minute?"  
Jesse looked at him like he had now lost it all together. "You know, that that piece of shit is a wanted terrorist, right?!"

"While you are searched for murder and theft in far too many states, I am the worlds most wanted man alive. Shut it, McCree we all have our faults."

It wasn't that simple at all. But could you fault Jack for wanting it to be...?  
"Let us... Just be here for a while, huh...? No fighting, no broken bones or hurt feelings. Just..."  
Gabriel huffed a laugh and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Just one for the good old times, huh?"  
Jack lifted his head and stretched his neck, not taking the bait. "Isn't it enough that no one here really wants to kill the other?"

Jesse hummed and crossed his arms, still not convinced of his own or his comrades safety. "What is your big plan then, Reaper? Retirement?"

Gabriel snorted. "Can you imagine me at a sunny beach with one of those ridiculous umbrella drinks? Hah, no retirement for me, but something far better."

Jesse lifted his brows. "That is...? "

Gabriel grinned that really unsettling shark like grin of his. "'Your' retirement", he all but purred. "I will get you all out of your Jobs and I won't even need to kill anyone of you...!"

Genjis and Jesses heads shot up in alarm but Jack waved their concern away before they could even speak it out. "He will bring Talon down for us."

Gabriel looked at him in affront and huffed a low and sulking, "Spoilsport."

"I wouldn't be, if you would just stop freaking the kids out", Jack bit right back at him. 

To be called a kid was of course one of Jesse McCrees personal pet peeves and in retaliation he decided to be as obnoxious as utterly possible.  
"Hey Reaper", He drawled and tilted his head. "How does having fun even work like this?"

Gabriel looked up. "What do you mean?"

Jack noticed his mistake way too late. 

"Well, sex, drugs and rock'n'roll of course? How does that work?"  
Genji stared at his companion, till he let out a bone deep sigh and let his head fall into his hands. Meanwhile Gabriel just stared. "That's it? you could ask me literally anything and this is what you want to know...?!"

Jesse grinned and shrugged. "Can't fault a guy for being curious, I guess."  
Gabe tilted his head, careful considering if he was mocked, but then decided to be bluntly honest, anyway. Just because. "Well, usually I don't?"  
Jesse let out a snort. "I bet that's why you are always so pissy. A dry spell? Really?"

Gabriel lifted his brows. "Wanna fuck the scary smoke monster, McCree?!"  
Jesses eyes widened and laughing almost hysterically he shook his head and lifted his hands in a deprecating gesture. "Fuck no, thanks!"

Jack groaned while he felt the heat prickle over the reddened skin of his face. Awkwardly he cleared his throat and rubbed the bridge of his nose.  
As he looked up again he noticed the on-going silence. 

Gabriel stared at him with a wide and curious gaze.  
"What? Really?"

Instantly Jack felt like dying.

"Why don't you just go and fuck 'yourself', Gabe?!"


End file.
